UNBC ranks second on Maclean’s Magazine’s list

The University of Northern British Columbia has been ranked second in the Primarily Undergraduate category of Maclean’s Magazine’s annual ranking of Canadian Universities.

The university’s main campus is located in Prince George, with regional campuses in Quesnel and Terrace.

UNBC placed second out of 19 universities in the category, marking the fifth straight year it has finished in the top two. Mount Allison University in New Brunswick finished first in the Primarily Undergraduate category, with Trent University in Ontario coming third.

UNBC placed second in three of the 12 categories surveyed by Maclean’s, including the number of students who have won national awards, student to faculty ratio, and library expenses. UNBC also received top grades in the amount of money available to faculty for research and two categories devoted to how the university allocates resources, including operating expenditures per student.

UNBC also scored well in the number of faculty members winning national awards.

“The university continues to make progress across a wide variety of priority areas, from enhancing student success to fostering leading edge research,” says UNBC president Dr. Daniel Weeks.

“This ranking is a demonstration that we can be considered a destination of choice for students from across Canada, and that we are providing an environment in which our students, faculty, staff and graduates can not only find personal success, but lead the way in the global search for new knowledge and discovery.”

Maclean’s also conducted a student satisfaction survey, which saw UNBC getting strong marks for mental health services available on campus and making Indigenous histories, cultures and languages visible on campus. Students also gave high marks to UNBC’s course instructors, student life staff and administrative staff.

“UNBC continues to play an important leadership role, not only in Northern British Columbia, but across Canada and even globally,” says UNBC board of governors chair Tracey Wolsey. “Our consistent appearance at or near the top of these rankings demonstrate the commitment and dedication of the UNBC community, and the pride and devotion put forth by all our supporters and champions.”

Simon Fraser placed first in the Comprehensive list, while McGill and the University of Toronto tied for first in the Medical Doctoral category.